GHOSTBUSTERS: PPE 12
by Q-CREW
Summary: Dana's back, but she's not the only thing! What can this mean for the Ghostbusters?
1. GB: PPE 12

Egon and Ray make their way down the rubble cluttered stairs as best as they can without losing their balance. While ordinarily the darkness of the area would give them a sense of foreboding and put them on guard, coupled with the lack of opposition on their trek the darkness gives them a glimmer of hope.

They stop at the foot of the stairs and Ray grabs the flashlight hanging off his belt to enhance the power of the ones coming from the hardhats they both wear. Slowly, they approach the edge of the platform and shine their lights down. Where there once was a massive flowing river of psychomagnetheric slime, dubbed "mood slime" for its reactions and effects on people's emotions, now sits an empty, dirty pair of tracks. The Van Horne station of the old Pneumatic Transit System is clear.

* * *

That was two years ago. After defeating Vigo the Carpathian's bid for world domination, Egon thought it best to see if the source of Vigo's power, the river of slime, had been destroyed along with him. The readings and visual witnessing had proved that assumption correct. Then, over the past few months, there have been reading spikes in his daily PKE samples. There have been occurrences with familiar readings, like the whole debacle with the creature from Louis' computer. But the thing that snapped a vague memory into harsh reality is when Egon saw it for himself as what was empowering Chase Mantel.

Now, Egon stands on the platform of the Van Horne station, looking down at the flowing river as it makes its way through the tunnels, confirming his worst fears: Vigo may have used the slime. He may have been empowered by it. But the slime had nothing to do with Vigo.

* * *

**GHOSTBUSTERS  
PROFESSIONAL PARANORMAL ELIMINATORS  
#12 SEP '06  
"THE RETURN"**

Chris Buchner-Writer & Chief  
Rolando Munoz-Breakdowns  
Ben King-Finishes, Letters & Edits  
Adam Bestler-Colors  
Dan Liberg-Edits  
Fritz Baugh-Covers & Continuity

* * *

**THE FIREHOUSE**  
"Dana…?" Peter says quietly. Dana Barrett stands to Ecto-1 with her son Oscar in the carriage before her. She nervously smiles as she walks through the garage bay. Like Peter, the others can do nothing but stare. "I'm glad you came down, Dana."

"Well, you made it kind of hard not to."

"Yeah…I suppose so…"

"Is there somewhere we can go to talk?" she asks, motioning to the guys and Janine staring at her. Peter looks back at them and nods.

"Yeah, I got a place."

"Janine, could you…?" Dana asks, motioning to the baby carriage.

"Oh, sure, Dana; no problem," Janine says as she pulls the carriage over to the desk. Dana follows Peter out of the firehouse as the guys keep watching after them, dumbstruck.

* * *

**GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN**  
Bikerz Pit is your typical biker bar in a seedy neighborhood just a few blocks from the East River. The outside is dark and dank, lit at night only by the street lights and the signs in the windows. Despite it only being dusk, a row of motorcycles already sit outside, their patrons getting a jump on the night's drinking as they wait for the rest of their friends. Which means there's nobody outside to see the pink slime oozing out of the sewer grate along the curb and flowing around one of the bikes' rear tires. An ethereal flame begins to form above and around the seats of the bikes, slowly taking a more human shape.

Inside, the walls are dark with dim lighting. Pictures of bikes, license plates, hubcaps and signs litter every available space except the wall behind the bar, where a mirror and bottles are situated. Pool tables, a stage for live shows in the back next to a jukebox, arcade games and small regular tables take up the rest of the space. Had New York not passed the smoking ban in public places the bar would have already been filled with a mildly thick fog by now.

The jukebox blasts a heavy metal tune as a couple of the bikers shoot some pool or hang around talking and drinking. That is, until, the front door slams open, causing the juke box to skip off the record and attract everyone's attention towards it. There in the doorway stand several bikers. Each one wears various styles of tattered riding clothes, but they are nothing more than bodies and skeletons in various stages of decomposition surrounded by a pale green aura.

The bikers in the bar back up slowly as they watch the ghost bikers approach a biker sitting at the bar across from the door with his back to it. The lead spook taps his shoulder.

"Hey! That's my seat!" The seated biker slams his beer mug down and scowls.

"So why don't you take it?" the biker says, standing up quickly while knocking his stool over and going to punch the jerk behind him. He stops short when he gets a good look at the ghost.

"Sure," the ghost says. Next thing anyone knows, the biker goes flying over the bar and crashing into the Jukebox in the corner. _Ballroom Blitz_ begins to blast on it as the ghost bikers charge into the bar, yelling. The human bikers grab the best weapons they can and yell back. The bartender dives down and takes the phone with him.

* * *

**THE FIREHOUSE**  
The phone rings as Janine keeps Oscar occupied with a toy. She smiles at him as she reaches over and picks up the receiver, never looking away. "Ghostbusters. Mmmhmm. Mmmhmmm. Okay, they'll be right there." She hangs up the phone and quickly jots down the call address. Then she reaches back and hits the alarm on her desk. Under a minute later, Ray and Winston rush over to her.

"A bar on Greenpoint Avenue; got some ghost bikers tearing up the place," she says, handing the paper back to them without looking up from Oscar. Winston takes it and looks at it.

"Think we should call the others?" he asks.

"Nah, we can handle it. Let's roll!" Ray says.

"Take the Williamsburg; we'll get there in about 10 minutes," Winston says as they run over to Ecto-1 and get in. Then engine roars to life, the lights flare on, and the doors open allowing the car to speed out.

* * *

**HUDSON RIVER PARK**  
Hudson River Park expands along most of the western shore of the island, encompassing most of the piers situated along there. The sun sets in the distance and New Jersey across the way already begins to light up for the night. Peter and Dana enter the park near the trapeze school and head south along the water. They've walked in silence since leaving the firehouse, each one unsure of exactly how to proceed. Peter looks around uncomfortably, trying to decide the best way to shatter the quiet.

"So, howabout them Yankees, huh?" is what he decides on.

"Peter, baseball season hasn't started yet," Dana tells him, rolling her eyes and smiling slightly.

"I know, but what else is there to talk about? Everyone knows the Rangers suck since Gretzky left, the Knicks are a joke and the Giants…"

"Peter, we need to talk. About us."

"…I know. That's why I wanted to see you. I mean, I know things didn't exactly go well in the apartment that day, but I really wanna try to work past this."

"And you thought by bribing me with a replica of my grandmother's necklace to replace the one Gozer destroyed in my old apartment would be the way to do it?"

"No, I thought that bribing you with the necklace would be a good way to get you to talk to me again. And it worked," Peter says with a sly smile. Dana sighs and chuckles.

"I guess it did." They smile at each other as they continue down along the path.

* * *

**BROOKLYN**  
Unconscious bikers lay strewn about the bar as the ghost bikers now hang out in their stead. Some shoot pool, some play darts, others hang around listening to the juke box or drinking beer, which proceeds to spill from their fleshless bodies onto the floor.

"Fill 'er up!" one of the bikers at the bar says. The nervous bartender reaches out shaking hands to take his glass and operate the tap over it to refill it. He puts it down and the biker snatches it away.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" a voice asks before the biker can take a sip. The biker looks over to find two proton rifles in his face.

"Aw sh…" Ray and Winston press the triggers and their ion streams engulf the biker. The other bikers turn towards the sounds of their comrade being zapped and trapped.

"Get 'em!" their leader shouts. The ghost bikers charge the two Ghostbusters who dive and split up, opening fire on them. Ray catches one in his stream and flips him up over the bar and into the wall behind it. Winston nails one and kicks over a table to block two more trying to rush him. He throws out a new trap and sucks them in before throwing out one more to catch the one in his stream.

"Plenty to go around!" he says. Ray blasts and traps another biker that came at him with a pool cue. The one he flung originally flies back over the bar and into the waiting trap below him, Ray smirking the whole time.

"I think we need to beat it!" one of the spooks says to the leader.

"To the bikes!" he responds. The remaining four biker spooks charge for the front wall and phase through it and the door. They jump on the bikes outside. As soon as they make contact the bikes take on more supernatural and distorted shapes; gaining demon and skeleton designs amongst flaming tires. "Let's roll!" the leader says as the bikes roar loudly to life.

"Hey, check out their ride!" one of the bikers says, motioning to Ecto-1 parked at the corner of the sidewalk facing the bar. He spins his bike around so that his giant exhaust pipes face the car. He holds on to the brakes and turns his throttle, revving the engine until hellfire blasts from the pipes onto Ecto. "That'll teach 'em to mess with Satan's Angels!" the biker says laughing as he and his comrades pull away from the bar and head up the street; flame trails burning into the ground behind them.

Ray and Winston gathered up the last of their traps and ran outside to find the bikers gone. Ray hits Winston's arm to get his attention as he points to the charred tire tracks in the pavement, the flames dying out. He nods as they head over to Ecto, only to stop short when they look at her.

"Aw, man!" Winston exclaims. Ecto's fender is a charred black and smoking mess, the entire wheel and tire melted into a puddle on the ground.

"Bastards!" Ray shouts after them.

"Well, guess that's that. They get away," Winston says defeated.

"Not necessarily…" Ray states as he leads Winston over to the back of Ecto. He opens the door and throws the traps in, accessing a compartment on the passenger side. He pulls out the condensed motorized unicycle known as Ecto-3 and places it on the street. Pressing a button, the two wheels extend outwards from the squared off sidecar that's too small for any adult to ride in. The seat rises from the main wheel, while an antenna with a triangular flag featuring their logo whips up between the sidecar and the other wheel's fender. "You follow them until I get Ecto squared away. I'll join you as soon as I can," Ray tells Winston as he hands him the helmet. Winston takes it and puts it on, sitting on the bike.

"You got it. Keep in contact." With that, he starts the motor and uses the foot pedals to take off down the street, following the tracks. Ray sighs, no clue on how he was going to follow Winston until he spots something in the garbage on the corner across the street.

* * *

**NORTH COVE YACHT HARBOR**  
"So then Ray says, 'Winston, you're holding the head!' He freaked out, it was hilarious," Peter says, laughing. Dana shakes her head as she laughs. The two continue to walk in silence for a while along the Esplanade through the World Financial Center Plaza, neither one knowing what to say next. Ever since passing Stuyvesant High School, they've spent the time reciting different tales to each other, both about themselves and events in their lives, neither one managing to stay on the difficult point.

"Look," Peter starts, finally breaking the quiet, "I know I'm not perfect and I sometimes make life difficult, but I was hoping you'd give me another chance."

"Peter, I gave you two already. Remember that New Years? You said all those things, which of course was helped by your later rescue, but then what happened? What happened to the Peter Venkman I was talking to that night?"

"He was there. I just tied him up and threw him in the back closet," Peter quips.

"Peter, I'm being serious."

"I…I know. I dunno what's wrong with me, Dana. You know where I came from, the kind of life I lived with my dad. I hadda get in on all his cons so I built it up to where I could sweet-talk anyone without getting close. I mean, I haven't even WANTED to try to get close to anyone. Until I met you. Yeah, sure, it didn't start out that way as you might've guessed…"

"I think I had a pretty good hunch when you said you were madly in love with me after only knowing me for an hour," Dana responds with a smirk.

"Ha…yeah. That was me just trying to impress you and get you to notice me."

"Well, I certainly noticed you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she responds, looking at him with a big smile. "I thought you were the biggest nut I've ever seen." She turns forward and continues on while Peter looks after her, smirking.

"Touché."

* * *

**JACKSON AVENUE, QUEENS**  
The bikers weave and fly all over the road, giving little to no regard of oncoming traffic…or any traffic, for that matter. Surprised drivers swerve to avoid them only to plow into other cars or have cars plowed into them. Pedestrians crossing with the lights are forced to jump out of the way and keep from getting burned by the harsh flame trails left behind. Winston tries his best to maintain his balance on Ecto-3 while keeping up with the spooks and avoiding the minor traffic difficulties they cause.

He's almost thankful Ecto was put out of commission; they would have lost them for sure with all this mess. However, he misses the stability and comfort of having four wheels under him and the protection of American steel around him.

"Ray, we've crossed the Pulaski Bridge and are heading along Jackson Avenue in Queens," he says into his radio.

* * *

**BACK IN BROOKLYN**  
Ray huffs and puffs as he tries to balance on the Razor scooter he rescued from the trash with the heavy proton pack he wears. Their current financial situation has left him with nothing more than emergency money in his pocket; and not even that would have been sufficient enough to secure a cab for a chase. But, thanks to the flames the bikes produce, he has a fine trail of charred tire tracks to use to follow them.

Hastily fixing the problem with the wheels of the scooter with materials in Ecto-1, he hopped on it hoping he could find some way to catch up with Winston and the ghosts. However, his progress is greatly hindered by his own poor physique and the gear he carries. Despite that, he's determined to press on until he hits an unseen bump in the sidewalk that sends him flying face first onto the ground. Ray lies there sprawled out for a few seconds, grumbling to himself.

"Now that was quite a tumble," a short, bald old man says, looking down at Ray while standing behind his cane.

"Yeah…seem to be having a lot of those lately…" Ray mutters.

"Say, are you one of them Ghostbusters?"

"Yes, sir," Ray responds, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Don't you usually have a fancier ride than this?" the old man asks while tapping the fallen scooter with his cane.

"Yeah, unfortunately the ghosts I'm after disabled it." Ray bends down painfully picking the scooter up and seeing he snapped the front wheel clean off. So much for being MacGuyver. "Crap."

"Sounds to me you're in the market for a new vehicle. I happen to have one for sale. Interested?" the old man asks.

"I appreciate that, sir, but I'm afraid we don't have enough money for a car right now…"

"How much ya got?"

"On me? About $40."

"Perfect. I'll tell you what; you guys have done a lot for this city so let me do something back for you. I'm an old man, I don't have much time left therefore no need for lots of money, so I'll let you have the car for $400 with that $40 as a down payment. You have an honest face and it's not like I can't find you and your crew for the rest. What do you say?"

"That…that sounds great, but $400 sounds kind of cheap." The old man begins to lead Ray down the street.

"Well, the car needs some heavy body work, but my son before he went off to war put a brand new engine in it so it runs great. I think it's a 409 he said? I don't know, I'm not much of a mechanic. And my eyesight's not what it used to be so the car's useless to me." He stops by garage in the middle of the block and fumbles with the keys from his pocket. He unlocks the padlock on the front and slides open the bolt, throwing the door open with Ray's help. Ray looks at the car exposed to the street lights and gets a big smile on his face, handing the old man his money. "Oh, and my cousin, Mrs. Agatha Faversham, says hi."

* * *

**RECTOR PARK**  
"Now that looks like something Egon would dream about," Peter says, pointing inland towards Rector Gate. The gate is a 50 foot tall arch that stands at the end of Rector Place next to the Esplanade. It's made up of stainless still held up by black granite bases on either side. The cross member of the arch is topped by a red brass crown lit at night by the steel torchiere hanging below it. The Northern leg is topped by a spike speared through three different sized balls with decorations representing Victorian topiary. The Southern leg is topped by a combination of lightning rods, a whirligig and a steel wind sock, and is decorated with nautical-type instruments.

"That it does," Dana agrees with a chuckle, before turning serious again. "Peter, what about Oscar?"

"What about him?"

"You can mess around with my life all you want, but he needs a father-figure. Not a best friend and not someone who will be there part time. It wouldn't be fair to him, and I just don't know if you're capable of being what he needs. What I need."

"I…don't know either. But I want to try, Dana. Really, I do…if for nothing more than to be different than my dad. Better if it's possible."

"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, Peter. In this case, it really has to be all or nothing. You can't just come into our lives whenever you feel like and then leave again. You just can't." She looks down as Peter stops walking to think. He gathers himself back up and jogs to catch up with her.

* * *

**NORTHERN QUEENS**  
Winston pulls into a hole in the fence surrounding the outer yard of the Bowery Bay Water Pollution Control Plant. The dirt between the seven large water tanks and the Luyster Creek inlet covers any trace of the biker's ashen tracks beyond the fence. Instincts taught to him in the service tell him something is wrong and he quickly draws his proton gun.

His suspicions are confirmed as the lead biker pulls out from around the closer water tank in front of him. A second biker lands from floating somewhere above to block the exit in the fence. The other two bikers approach from the sides, one rising up out of the creek.

"Looks like yer outta luck, hombre," the leader says with a sinister cackle. Winston turns on his gun, causing his pack to hum to life.

"Game's not over yet," Winston responds defiantly.

"You sure about that? Look around, pal! We got you outnumbered four to one!"

"Wanna count again?" Winston asks with a smirk. The spooks all perk up as they hear the roar of a powerful engine from somewhere. Suddenly, the car it belongs to roars upwards and through the fence, plowing over the spook on guard and his bike as it lands on the dirt and skids to a stop.

The car is a 1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon. As the old man said, the red painted body has seen better days with different color patches of paint and some mild rusting along the bottom. The rims are exposed and the upholstery looks ratty and worn, but the engine roars like a lion. Ray steps out of the car and throws out a trap at the spook he just clobbered, slamming the pedal and sucking him in. He stands up with his rifle drawn over the car, looking at the three remaining bikers.

"I believe it's now three to two," Winston remarks as Ray joins him on the other side of the car. They all eye each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. The leader glares at them and revs up his bike, the other two doing the same to try and psyche the Ghostbusters out. The biker by the water decides to go for it and yells out, putting the bike in gear while popping a wheelie.

Ray turns and opens fire on the spook, nailing him off his bike. Winston dives to the ground and fires on the other side spook as he starts moving. He rolls over and moves his stream over with Ray's as they quickly engulf the leader, having all three ghosts imprisoned in their streams. Winston reaches back for his last trap and throws it out under them. He slams on the pedal with his fist and they look away as the column of light engulfs the spooks, sucking them in.

Winston puts his blaster and head down on the ground, breathing out a sigh of relief. "That was too freakin' close, man. If you hadn't come along they'd have nailed me for sure."

"And that's why we got these babies," Ray says, jiggling his walkie-talkie. Winston chuckles and stands up.

"It's a good thing you snagged this thing," Winston says, motioning to the car, "because I sure as hell do NOT want to ride that contraption of a bike again."

"That's alright, Z…Ecto-5 should eliminate any immediate future need for Ecto-3."

"…Ecto-5?" Winston asks curiously, pointing to the car. Ray nods with a big smile on his face. Winston looks the car over, and then looks at Ray strangely. "Ray, we seriously need to talk about your taste in cars…"

* * *

**ROBERT F. WAGNER, JR. PARK**  
"Peter, you pushed the guy into the desert cart!" Dana says with mock anger, trying to hold back laughter. "He had chocolate mousse all over his pants!"

"Hey, he had it coming!"

"Well, yeah, I guess. Kind of. You are so bad!"

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"I do."

"So why don't you consider it? Y'know, us getting back together?" Peter asks, turning serious. Dana sighs and turns to the railing over the water, looking out at the Statue of Liberty.

"Peter, what exactly did we accomplish today?" she asks him. Peter leans on the rail next to her and looks out over the bay and all the lights from passing ships. "We discussed things, we talked about the good old times, but what did we really accomplish?"

"Dana…" Peter starts, reaching out for her arm. Dana doesn't look back at him.

"I have considered it, Peter. A lot. I love you but I can't keep doing this. Every time you say you change, I take you back and you do something to ruin it again. I just can't." Peter looks down at the ground and nods.

"I've considered a lot too, Dana. I've considered how I can't think about anyone else without you around. I've considered how I don't really try to want to be with anyone else. I've considered that all I think about is you and that kid. Maybe I am stupid. Maybe I am completely wrong for you. But I need to grow up sometime, and I don't want to do it without you." He pulls something out of his jacket pocket and places it on the rail next to her. She looks over at his hand to find an open box with a ring inside. She looks up at him, confused.

"No, Peter…"

"Dana…"

"No…"

"Dana, I…"

"Not like this, Peter! This is NOT how you do it!" She turns away, frustrated. "You don't solve all our problems by giving me a ring and more words!" Peter grabs her and turns her around to face him.

"That's not what this is for! I'm not just talking anymore! I'm doing! And I mean it. Dana, my life is empty without you in it. It took a while to realize it, but I have. And this isn't for the sake of trying to win you back…well, yeah, it kinda is, but it's not for the reasons you think. I don't want to be part-time anymore. I want to be there, I want to be Oscar's father. Dana, I love you, and I'm ready to do what it takes to show you." Dana looks into his eyes, and between them and the tone in his voice she knows he's being sincere. She knows how he is, she knows how he can charm people, but she also knows him well enough to know that this time he means what he says. He drops down to one knee and pops open the box in his hand, revealing the beautiful diamond ring inside.

"Peter, I…"

"Dana Barrett, will you marry me?"

* * *

**THE FIREHOUSE**  
The Cruiser leads into the garage bay with Ecto-1 on a tow truck following right behind. Janine stands up from her chair as she looks at the monstrosity pulling up to her desk.

"What the hell is that?" she asks as Ray and Winston get out.

"Janine, meet Ecto-5," Ray says, patting the roof proudly.

"Yeah, and believe it or not we still have to pay for it," Winston comments as he heads back towards Ecto-1 to deal with the driver. Peter and Dana come strolling into the firehouse, walking hand in hand while talking and laughing.

"Hey, you two," Ray says.

"Hey, Ray," Peter responds.

"Hi, Ray. Janine, how was Oscar?" Dana asks.

"Oh, he behaved perfectly. He's sleeping in the back office," Janine tells her.

"So, I've got some news, guys," Peter declares.

"What is it, Pete?" Ray asks curiously, taking the trap out of the Cruiser. Winston heads around the car with the two receipt, looking at Peter.

"Well, Dana and I…" he starts, but Dana cuts him off.

"Peter, shouldn't we wait for everyone?"

"Good idea. Where's the brain?"

"Egon? He hasn't come back yet," Janine tells them. They all look towards the doors as they hear one of the smaller ones shut. Egon appears around the cars, carrying a doctor's satchel and a grim expression on his face.

"Speak of the devil. You're right on time, Spengs," Peter says.

"For what?" Egon asks.

"To hear that Dana and I just got engaged!" He puts his arm around her and smiles proudly.

"No way! Congrats!" Ray says, excitedly.

"Alright, man!" Winston adds, patting Peter on the back. "Congrats, you two." Janine cocks her head to the side as she looks at Dana.

"You sure about this?" Dana chuckles and nods.

"I have an announcement as well," Egon says as he reaches into the satchel and produces a sample jar full of pink slime. He places it on the hood of the Cruiser and the excitement in the room dies down when they all see it.

"Egon, what's…" Ray starts.

"Is that…it can't be," Winston says.

"I think it is," Peter groans.

"It is. The river of slime is back."

**THE BEGINNING**

* * *

**FOOTNOTES:**  
1. PPE #9.  
2. Last issue.  
3. PPE #4.  
4. One of the packages Peter purchased from Mr. Fung in PPE #6.  
5. That would be her Shandor Building apartment from the first movie.  
6. All events from Ghostbusters 2.  
7. Their finances were wiped out in PPE #9.  
8. The Ghostbusters' customer from the episode "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic."

* * *

GHOSTBUSTERS: PROFESSIONAL PARANORMAL ELIMINATORS VOL. 1 NO. 12, SEPTEMBER 2006 Q-CREW PRODUCTIONS. GHOSTBUSTERS AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS TM & © COLUMBIA PICTURES, INC. THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS OF THIS STORY ARE FICTIONAL. ANY SIMILARITIES TO ANY LIVING OR DEAD PERSONS, BUSINESSES OR ORGANIZATIONS IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL. RELEASED THROUGH ATOMIC MEDIA. 


	2. Letter to the Fans

Dear Fellow Ghostheads,

Wow, 12 issues! It's been an entire year of Ghostbusting fun! Where does the time go? I just want to thank each and every reader for taking the ride along with us. Hopefully you've read from the beginning, and if not we hope you've liked what you HAVE read enough to go back and read what you missed. A lot of work has gone into these first 12 issues, and even more is going into the next 12! So much so, we're going to be taking a little break before #13 comes out to try and keep up with it all.

Now, I've thanked the readers for making this series, successful, but I have others to thank as well.

First off, thanks to Ben King. This is a guy who is dedicated to his work. He has gone above and beyond in every way possible, from helping to design our sets to our equipment, to his dauntless editing of my frazzled words. But don't think that's all he's good for; this guy is one talented writer, and he proves it every so often on his strip Ghostbusters dot nuts.

Dan Liberg was also instrumental in a lotta pre-production aspects. He was often the deciding vote in many of our decisions regarding design and direction. But then, what more can you expect from one of the driving forces behind the fan-favorite _Ghostbusters: The Animated Series_?

Then there's Fritz Baugh. The man is a living, breathing Ghostbusters encyclopedia. I dunno how he does it, but without his sponge-like brain I probably would've been lost. Even though I've seen all the episodes, you tend to forget little important things as time passes. Fortunately Fritz has been there to make sure I don't offend any long-term fans by getting the facts wrong. Also, he did some gorgeous covers I wish we got the chance to use. Perhaps one day. Oh, and he's a helluva writer too, so keep your eyes open for his stuff.

Rounding out our little troop is Rolando Munoz and Adam Bestler. Unfortunately, with the shift from comic to story these guys didn't get to do much, but they hung in their and offered their full support regardless. I know I consider them a valuable part of the crew, and it wouldn't FEEL like the Q-Crew if they weren't there.

And a special thanks goes to Brian Reilly. While my suggestion is what sparked this little project, it was his belief in the success of it that brings us to where we are now. Unfortunately he didn't stick around to see the fruits of his ambitions, but without him there would be no series today.

With the thank yous out of the way, what can you look forward to? Well, as you see, we're building on all the previous history to let these characters breathe and evolve. We've already got a new Ectomobile and the return of the slime. Coming up, more classic characters will be making a comeback, some you never expected to see again. Relationships will be altered, things will grow. Basically, it's gonna be a great ride and I hope you join us on it!

Sincerely,  
Chris Buchner  
Series Writer & Editor-In-Chief

P.S. Don't forget to check out our Myspace page. Just do a search for Q-Crew and add us. We'll be doing some cool stuff there soon.


	3. The Road to Dana

**THE ROAD TO DANA**

**GHOSTBUSTERS: PPE #4  
"DATE FRIGHT"**

"Sounds good to me," Winston says as he opens the door and climbs back into Ecto-1. Janine and Egon start towards the car with their arms around each other as Peter heads towards the back of the car to store the trap. He looks up and the street sign catches his notice; E75TH ST.

_The East 70s…?_ he thinks. He knew where they are, but he just didn't realize how close they really were. He turns to look back at Egon and Janine being happy. Well, Janine being happy and whatever passes as it for Egon. He turns back to look at the sign and sighs. Winston's voice snaps him back to reality.

"Hey, Pete!" Peter turns to see him leaning out of the window. "You coming or what, man?"

"Uh, no…I just remembered an errand I needed to run up here," Peter responds, opening the back of the car and throwing the trap in. "I'll catch the train back." He shuts the door and Winston waves as he pulls his head back inside.

"Alright, see you back at the firehouse!" With that, Ecto pulls off and Peter watches as it disappears around a corner before turning back to the sign. He stares at it and sighs, wondering if he should do what he contemplates doing.

* * *

**E77TH STREET **

A knock comes at the apartment door, and the resident proceeds over to open it. Upon doing so, Peter is found on the other side in the hall. He has a dopey smile on his face as he tries to hide his nervousness. Badly. Nervousness and a dose of that old Venkman charm.

"Um, hi… Uh, I was just in the neighborhood and I was…" The door starts to shut on him but he stops it with his hand. "Alright, alright!" The occupant opens the door again. "I'm sorry. Look, can we talk?" The occupant ponders for a while. A good, long while, before reluctantly deciding to open the door fully. Peter walks inside and the door closes behind him.

_(Ghostheads and patrons of the NYGB Tourguide will know that Dana's apartment building from Ghostbusters 2 was located on E77th Street.)_

* * *

**GHOSTBUSTERS: PPE #6  
"LITTLE TROUBLE IN BIG BROOKLYN"**

Outside, Peter looks at Ecto-1 as he heads inside the store. Mr. Fung looks up and a smile comes on his face.

"Ah, Mr. Venkman! So good to see you again!" he says, turning down the radio.

"Hey, Mr. Fung," Peter says, cautiously looking around as he moves past the counter. "My colleagues aren't still here, are they?"

"No, but guess what is!" Mr. Fung reaches down and pulls up a slim box from behind the counter. Peter's face lights up.

"Mr. Fung, you ARE amazing!" he says as he approaches the counter and takes the box.

Peter hands over the money for his purchase to Mr. Fung. "Mr. Fung, you are STILL the best deal in Brooklyn."

"Of course!" he says, ringing up the register and depositing the cash while Peter admires the object inside the box with a smile. "And I hope she likes it."

"Yeah, me too." Peter closes the box and checks his watch. "Where are those guys? You didn't see them at all?"

"Not since I went to lunch. I assumed they went to eat too. Kind of hard to miss their car out front."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Or another job came up. Or Ecto broke down again and they're stuck on a subway somewhere. Sigh…guess I should start scouring around for them, huh?"

"Yeah…NOW he worries about us," Winston grunts as he pulls himself up onto the top of the counter. Peter starts towards the door, waving the box at Mr. Fung.

"Thanks for this, though. Just hope I'm not too late with it."

"It is never too late if you really care."

"Ancient Chinese proverb?"

"Fortune cookie."

"Ah. Well, I'll be seeing yeeEEOUCH!" Peter exclaims, shaking his hand frantically. "What in the…" he starts, but stops when he sees a micro-sized proton beam coming from the counter to hit him in the chest. He leans down close to the counter to see a miniature Winston standing next to the phone with his proton gun slung over his shoulder. "Winston?" Peter asks. The sound, however, is booming to Winston and he's forced to cover his ears. "Oops! Sorry!" Peter whispers. Winston shakes his fist angrily at Peter as Mr. Fung pulls out a magnifying glass to look down at the counter.

"Oh my…" he says.

"What happened? Where's Ray?" Winston makes a downward pointing motion. "Down? Down where? Downtown?" Winston shakes his head and points harder, followed by a scooping motion to signify "underneath." "Down…under? He's in Australia?" Peter quips. Winston slaps his head. Mr. Fung looks down at his counter, then crouches with the magnifying glass.

"No! Mr. Venkman! Down here!" he calls as quietly as he can. Peter heads around and crouches down, seeing Ray through the glass on the bottom shelf. "Well, that solves that!"

_(The purchase of the grandmother's necklace and engagement ring.)_

* * *

**GHOSTBUSTERS: PPE #7  
"SNOWED"**

**THE FIREHOUSE**

The plan was simple; Ecto-2 has only two seats and it's far too cold for anyone to ride on the wings. Emptying one of the larger metallic cabinets in Egon's lab, Peter and Winston drilled four holes towards the top and bottom on either side. They then ran cables through the holes and tied them up tight before joining them together by a hook. Taking all the pillows, blankets and sheets they could find, they completely stuffed them around the sides of the cabinet's inside for cushioning and insulation. Finally, they carry the cabinet up to the roof where they wait for their ride with their make-shift passenger basket.

"You sure about this?" Winston asks, wondering if Egon's finally off his nut for suggesting a stunt like this in this weather. He looks over at Peter who stands off to the side on his phone. "Pete?" Peter quickly hangs up and turns to Winston.

"Yeah, sorry. Wrong number," Peter says as he stuffs the phone back into his jacket.

"You sure about this?" Winston asks again.

"Well, if this plan doesn't work at least we've already got our coffin."

"Not funny, man."

"Here comes our ride. Climb in."

_(Who was Peter calling? None other than Dana to check up on her!)_


End file.
